


Run With The Hunted

by TheSkyIsALie



Series: Affections of the Underworld [7]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Nightwing (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Aged-Up Damian Wayne, Demon AU, Demon!Damian, Demon!Dick, Demon!Jason, M/M, Plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-21
Updated: 2018-11-21
Packaged: 2019-08-27 02:47:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16693975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSkyIsALie/pseuds/TheSkyIsALie
Summary: Tim and Dick have been living happily together for a few months now, though they were never fully able to relax with the threat of Damian returning. Suddenly, there are much worse things for them to worry about - things that begin to uproot the safe little life they'd begun to build together.





	Run With The Hunted

**Author's Note:**

> Proud of myself for actually finishing this chapter in the week, less proud for not getting quite as much plot into this story as I'd originally planned - though of course that just leaves more to be said in the next one, instead.

“You bought _more_ books? Baby, you haven’t even finished all the ones you bought last time.” Dick huffed, watching Tim as the little human struggled into the apartment with the heavy box he carried.

“The last ones left some things unexplained, so I needed more on similar topics. I need to follow everything I learn through to the end, Dick, I can’t just know bits and pieces.” Tim argued, dropping his box down on the floor with a solid thump and ignoring the way the apartment seemed to rattle with the sudden weight.

“I know you feel like you need to know everything there is to know about our kind, but I don’t really think that’s possible - and even if it is, there’s not much you’ll be able to do with the information.” Dick stood from his seat in the sun on the little sofa, moving into the little kitchen area to make a coffee for Tim.

“If there’s _anything_ I can use against Damian I want to know it.” Tim was quick to steal Dick’s spot in the warm sun, falling on to the sofa cushions face first with a heavy sigh. “My back hurts.” he mumbled.

“You don’t get this coffee if you leave that box in the middle of the walkway.” Dick hummed, smiling fondly at Tim’s actions.

“It’s my apartment, I do what I want.” was the little human’s reply, muffled by the sofa cushions.

“Then you don’t get the coffee.”

“Maybe I didn’t want the coffee.”

At that, Dick paused - brow raised at the little ball Tim had curled himself into.

“Are you sick?” He asked, despite knowing Tim wasn’t - but he had to point out how stupid of an argument Tim not actually wanting a coffee Dick had made was.

“No.”

“Then you want the coffee.” Dick hummed, finishing crafting the two hot drinks before bringing them into the mainroom - stepping over the box of books as he made his way back over to the sofa, nudging Tim. “Scoot over.”

Tim did, wiggling about until he was propped up against the back cushion in a position that more resembled sitting up. Dick passed him his coffee before sitting down beside the little human and pressing a kiss to Tim’s cheek when he shuffled closer to lean in to Dick’s side - the incubus wrapping an arm around his slim shoulders.

“How’d it go? Did you get everything finished with uni?” he asked after a few moments of quiet had passed in the little apartment. Tim took a sip from his coffee, humming,

“Yeah - I am officially no longer a student.” he stated, beginning to play with a loose thread on the sleeve of Dick’s jumper.

“It’s a waste.” the elder commented for the hundredth time.

“So would be taking another two years to get qualifications I’ll never live long enough to use.” Tim replied with the same argument he always did, as the two had gone over this topic many times before. Tim didn’t see the point in wasting years of his life in preparation for a future that he was almost guaranteed to never get - while Dick didn’t want Tim to cater his entire life to the fact that he owed one of the Princes of Hell a debt.

Dick only sighed heavily - they would never agree on this - and it was hardly as though he was about to force Tim into living his life as he wanted, so ultimately, the little human had won.

“Are you hungry?” he asked instead, opting to change the conversation subject rather than risk beginning an argument.

“Kind of.”

“I’ll start dinner in a bit.” Dick decided, leaning closer in to Tim and resting his cheek atop the little human’s head. Ever since the incident with the contract had been finalised, Tim and Dick had had nothing but spare time together. Tim had still not truly forgiven Jason, meaning the demon rarely showed himself to the little human any longer, and Dick couldn’t help but view the other as so much more powerful than himself for being able to actually stay away.

Dick had never left - hadn’t been able to bring himself to, even with the threat of Damian showing up for Tim any day. The incubus would be able to do nothing to protect Tim from the prince - something they both knew all too well - but that meant nothing in the face of leaving the little human to wait out his own death alone. Tim meant too much to Dick to leave the younger behind, despite the danger he was in from staying - and while the days passing were melancholy, at least they had days together at all.

Dick held Tim a little tighter, feeling the little human shift in his arms to take another sip of his beverage.

“You’re thinking too much again.” Tim sighed after a moment.

“I love you.” was all Dick replied, knowing Tim would understand the thoughts behind his words.

“I love you too, Dick. Now stop thinking so much.” Tim hummed, playing with the loose thread on Dick’s jumper again. 

A comfortable quiet fell over the little apartment as the two simply sat together, curled into the other’s embrace. The golden glow that lit the apartment steadily dimmed, turning to a warm orange and then a faint pink before disappearing behind the tall buildings of Gotham, leaving a dark room in its wake. Their drinks had both been emptied - mugs sat together on the coffee table, the ceramic long since gone cold as a police siren wailed somewhere in the night, offering the only noise before Tim spoke.

“We should probably put the lights on.” the little human mused, Dick humming groggily in acknowledgement, making Tim giggle. “Did you fall asleep?”

“Not really,” Dick replied sleepily, nuzzling the top of Tim’s head, “jus’ dozing.”

“Well, let me up.” Tim hummed, still smiling as he wriggled from Dick’s hold - stretching when he stood before moving around the coffee table to trip on the box he’d left in the walkway. Were Dick not clearly half asleep, he probably wouldn’t hear the end of that for the next week, at least.

Tim stepped over the box, running his hand over the wall beside the little kitchen area until he found the lightswitch in the dark, flicking on the lights.

Though Dick had been close to dozing off again when Tim moved to switch the mainroom lights on, he was certainly wide awake as soon as the little human shrieked in terror - the sound being cut off almost as soon as it had left his mouth. Dick was off the sofa in a second, worried questions of what had happened on the tip of his tongue.

“Hush, Timothy, there is no need for that.” Damian silenced, one hand pressed over Tim’s mouth and the other clamped tightly around the little human’s wrist, preventing him from getting away from the prince. Dick was beside the two in a second, ready to do whatever he had to in order to get Tim away from Damian - though the look the prince gave him made him pause.

“Calm yourself, Richard, I am not here to collect the little one’s debt.” he stated, removing the hand he had pressed to Tim’s mouth but not releasing his wrist.

“How long were you stood there? Dick, I thought you could sense other demons or something.” Tim rushed out, clearly unable to calm as easily as Dick had.

“Not if he doesn’t want me to. He could have been there for hours - he gets it from his father.” was Dick’s reply, eyes not leaving Damian’s.

“Quiet, we do not have time for this.” Damian dismissed the subject quickly, seemingly not even noticing when Tim attempted to tug himself from the prince’s grasp. “There is currently an emergency of sorts that requires you both to act.”

“What sort of emergency?” Dick asked, though Damian didn’t seem interested in his questions.

“You must take Timothy to Todd and have him hide the little one.” he stated hurriedly instead, finally pushing Tim away from himself - the little human stumbling forward the few steps into Dick’s arms, who held him tight.

“Why, Damian? What’s going on?” Dick asked a little more harshly - he didn’t like that Damian was so clearly distressed about something, as nothing ever upset the prince - meaning whatever had happened was probably quite drastic. But he also didn’t like that Damian seemed to think that both himself and Tim would easily listen to him when he showed himself to them again.

Damian only huffed at Dick’s questions, running a hand through his hair as his eyes sharpened on Tim for a moment before returning to the incubus behind him.

“My brothers have discovered I had involvement with Timothy’s contract two months ago.” his frown deepened as he spoke, as if merely thinking about it was troubling him, “They have become curious as to what sort of human could possibly pique my interest enough to warrant interfering with a simple deal.”

“Your brothers?” Dick clarified, and Tim could hear the rising panic in his voice, “Both of them?”

“Yes, Richard, both of them. I expect they will be attempting to figure exactly who it was Todd made a deal with last year as we speak.”

“I’ll take Timmy,” Dick agreed, and Tim spun to face the incubus at his words, “but you’d better explain the situation to me better once I do.”

A moment of silence passed by as Dick and Damian stared each other down. The little clock in the kitchen area ticked passed the minute as Damian sighed, relenting.

“Very well.” he allowed. Silence followed the prince’s reluctant agreement and when Tim turned to check the demon was already gone.

“Are you actually going to listen to him?” he asked Dick as soon as he knew his apartment was empty again. The incubus sighed, winding an arm around the back of Tim’s neck to tug the little human back against his chest, holding him there securely.

“If Damian’s brothers are on the hunt then we need to get you somewhere safe whether Damian’s says to or not.”

“Why? What would they even _do_? What could they be after me for?”

“I’ve no idea. There’s three Princes of the Underworld, and Damian is by far the most level headed of them all. His brothers are not related to him by blood and while Damian has a reputation for being above the affairs of most other demons, the other two are much better know for their malevolence.”

“Malevolence?” Tim repeated, seeking further explanation.

“They often get involved in other demon’s work and tend to cause a lot of unnecessary misfortune for human’s without gain for themselves other than amusement. The elder was only recently released from banishment, too, so I expect they’re looking for something to do.”

“Not the kind I want searching for me, then.” Tim sighed, pressing his face into Dick’s chest.

“No - and the best we can do right now is get you somewhere safe and hope they get bored of their brother’s affairs before they find you.” Dick squeezed Tim just a little tighter before letting the younger go, “C’mon, you should get some stuff together so we can go find Jay - I imagine this’ll be an overnight stay, at the very least.”

“We’re going _now_?” Tim whined, not releasing his grasp on Dick’s jumper just yet.

“The sooner the better.” The incubus sighed, reaching up to cup Tim’s soft cheek, running his thumb over the little human’s cheekbone adoringly, “Jay’ll keep you safe while I go talk to Damian and find out the details of what’s going on.”

“Why’s Jason the safest to be with? Why can’t I stay with you?”

“Jason can conjure like I’ll never be able to. He can create a pocket reality that cages the soul inside, so you’re untrackable from out here. I know you don’t really trust Jason, but I also know you understand that he loves you - he’ll do anything to protect you in a heartbeat.”

“I know.” Tim admitted, tilting his head to the side and into Dick’s palm. Dick leant down, pressing a lingering kiss to the little human’s lips before stepping back completely.

“Now go get some stuff together - we should leave soon.”

___

Finding Jason had taken little effort for Dick, but for some reason convincing the demon to help was proving more difficult than either the incubus or Tim had expected. Tim wasn’t completely sure what the two demons were even arguing over, exactly, but he certainly didn’t like it.

“Jus’ go tell him ta call ‘em off, Dickie.” Jason huffed, leant on the balcony railing of the hotel room somewhere in London. Both Tim and Dick stood in the bedroom suite, the balcony door wide open despite the cold.

“He’s not even in charge of them, Jason. You really think I’d have any more say over this than Damian does? Even if they would actually listen to him it’s not as though _he_ will listen to _me_.” Dick argued, throwing his hands in the air in frustration as Jason leisurely flicked the excess ash from his cigarette, watching it flutter away in the chill breeze. 

Tim was still a little baffled as to how they’d managed to hold an entire argument so far without actually naming anyone Tim didn’t know already.

“‘Course he’d listen, Dickie, yer his favourite.”

“I’m everyone’s favourite! That’s the only fucking reason I’ve any power down there, but if I start cozying up to royalty to get Damian’s brothers to back off it’ll only interest them more - and then Tim’ll be easier to find ‘cause they’ll know I’m involved, too, and not just Damian.”

Jason sighed heavily, taking a last drag from his cigarette before pressing the remaining embers out in the little ashtray that sat beside the balcony door. Tim shivered at the cold as Jason finally stepped back inside.

“Fine, I’ll take Timmy somewhere safe. I’ll replicate the ground floor a’ one a’ the manors in the country - it’ll be isolated enough ta keep ‘em from lurkin’ in the area close enough ta sniff him out.”

Tim averted his eyes when Jason looked down at him, the care and worry in the demon’s bright gaze making the little human feel self conscious. 

“Can’t you just cage his soul?” Dick asked, running a hand through his hair.

“Not fer an extended amount a’ time. If I held his soul fer longer than a few hours - maybe a day at most - I ain’t got no chance a’ keepin’ Timmy safe if they actually find us. I’d be too weak.”

“Take him to the country, then.” Dick agreed after a moment.

Tim kept quiet. Despite all the reading and research he’d been attempting since he’d become indebted to one of the Princes of the Underworld, he simply didn’t know enough to make any decisions for himself at that moment. He trusted Dick with everything he had, and he trusted Jason to put his safety first - so, as much as he didn’t like letting others decide his life, he knew there was nothing he could contribute right then.

“Are we staying in England?” he asked, instead.

“Yeah, darlin’, we’ll stay in England. If this lasts longer than a few days we’ll switch countries, but fer now we’ll stay here.” Jason replied, moving away from Tim and Dick to seemingly begin collecting the few things he wanted to take with him.

“When will you be back?” Tim asked Dick, turning to the incubus with a saddened expression. He could handle being with Jason, as it wasn’t as though he actually hated the contract demon, but he certainly didn’t want Dick to leave.

“As soon as I can.” Dick promised, bringing Tim in for a warm hug, “If Damian lets me find him I should be back by morning, but if he’s trying to keep his brothers off his tail he’ll be harder to find. As soon as I get more information from him I’ll come back.”

Tim huffed, head rested on Dick’s chest as he wrapped his arms around the elder’s waist, not wanting him to leave. He hadn’t been to bed in too long and they had skipped dinner to find Jason and all his mind was telling him to do was crawl into bed with the incubus that held him just as he did every night so he could sleep all the trouble demons caused away knowing he was safe and loved.

Tim pulled back a little, pushing up onto his tiptoes and hooking an arm around Dick’s neck to draw the elder down into a soft, caring kiss. He missed the heavy look of longing and regret that Jason cast their way at the affectionate display.

“Please hurry.” Tim breathed as they pulled apart, looking up into Dick’s eyes as the incubus smiled.

“I love you.” he said, pressing one last kiss to Tim’s soft lips.

“I love you too.” Tim replied just as Dick disappeared from the hotel room.

There was a long moment of silence that passed then, the gentle rush of cars passing on the late streets of London so many stories below blocked by the heavy glass of the balcony doors. Tim sighed, watching as a cloud passed over the bright, hazy winter moon.

“Timmy,” Jason spoke - a little hesitant, “we should get goin’, darlin’.”

Tim hummed non committedly, waiting for the clouds to pass before he turned to Jason, offering a faint smile.

“Alright,” he agreed, picking the small bag he’d packed hours ago up from the hotel room floor, “let’s go.”

Jason stepped toward Tim, pausing for a moment to study the little human’s face before he steadily wrapped an arm around his shoulders - seemingly giving Tim time to reject the contact if he wanted to. Another second passed silently, and by the time the winter moon’s glow was covered in the night sky by another cloud, the hotel room was empty.

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone's wondering, yes this is essentially a Tim centric harem at this point (though not everyone's intentions are romantic, of course).
> 
> Also, I'd love to hear any guesses as to who Damian's brothers could be in this.
> 
> Visit my Tumblr at the-sky-is-a-lie or come and chat on Discord at #7527


End file.
